Wednesday, January 03, 2007

The following is a snippet fromGlenn Greenwald'sNew Years Day post. It amazes me how Glenn can consistently hit the nails smack on the head.

So this is the grand and noble achievement which the President and his band of bloodthirsty followers are reduced to celebrating -- a lawless, thuggish hanging, carried out in clear and deliberate violation of the law, by a bunch of homicidal street thugs and militia foot soldiers who themselves will be included among our next kill targets once our glorious "sustained surge" begins.

No matter what we touch in Iraq, no matter what we do, it only makes things worse -- never better -- because the root of what we are doing is itself so rotted and incoherent and corrupt. It's beyond doubt that we're going to be treated to much more "freedom" and "justice" like this over the next two years in Iraq, at least.

The very thought of al-Sadr's thugs hanging the thug, formerly known as Saddam, shows just how far down this filthy and disgusting road Shrub and his cohorts have dragged us. Like most occupiers, our forces are not truly in control of anything they are subject to the whims of the three headed beast that is the "new" Iraq.

The Shia are in control, not just because of numbers, but because of our guns. They will be forced time and again to the more radical members of their sect. The key will be if the radicals like al-Sadr will stay on the political sidelines or fully exercise their power and create Iran-west. The fact that they were given the role of hangman for the Saddam fiasco is proof positive of their growing influence.

The Sunni's will be the eternal opposition, with overt and covert aid, from their Sunni brethren in neighboring nations. The Kurds are the wild card. With their de-facto independence they are a breath away from provoking a multi-nation war should the Kurds decide to exercise their autonomy in a meaningful way.

Three thousand U.S. dead, tens of thousands wounded, Lord knows how many Iraqis and the best these nimrods can come up with is McCain's "Surge" Doctrine. While this will make Bill Kristol giddy, we will be forced to watch. as this pigheaded administration plays out the last of its schoolyard dreams, of being the toughest kid on the block.